


let’s stay together (or not)

by sora_grey



Category: The Parent Trap (1961), The Parent Trap (1998)
Genre: Anger, Experimental Style, Female Characters, Female Protagonist, Free Verse, Gen, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Poetry, Rare Fandoms, Resentment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:28:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23801587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sora_grey/pseuds/sora_grey
Summary: Hallie and Annie, Sharon and Susan—twin victims of broken marriages.(Better known as the one where both sets of parents fucked up their own daughters.)
Relationships: Annie James & Hallie Parker, Susan Evers & Sharon McKendrick
Kudos: 5
Collections: rare fandoms





	let’s stay together (or not)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [All Some Children Do Is Work.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22656775) by [Lanna Michaels (lannamichaels)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lannamichaels/pseuds/Lanna%20Michaels). 



> After rewatching [both](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Parent_Trap_\(1998_film\)) [versions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Parent_Trap_\(1961_film\)) of _The Parent Trap_ , I got really fucking angry about how easily these parents could choose which daughter to keep.
> 
> I mean, these fuckers got _married_ and had _children,_ then decided that their marriage wasn’t worth it and just _fucking bounced with one daughter each._ At the very least, they should’ve let their girls grow up together.
> 
> So I decided to vent my anger by writing this poem. I intentionally left the narrator ambiguous, so the reader can decide which twin is addressing which parent.

* * *

The nerve of you—  
burying the truth and  
hiding the past  
from me,  
from my sister.

You hated your ex so much  
that you threw out  
your other daughter in exchange.

You decided long ago  
never to speak of her,  
let her become a secret  
you’d take to your grave.

How could you not tell me  
that my sister existed?

How could you look at me  
and not think of another girl  
who shares my features?

How could you live with me,  
knowing she was out there?

Don’t you dare claim  
to love her and I equally,  
then turn around and choose  
only one twin to raise.

My sister and I  
were divided between you  
and your ex,  
the consolation prizes  
both of you kept.

We became the victims  
of your broken marriage.

Even after she and I  
found our way  
back to each other,  
you still fought  
to tear us apart.

Why?

Why would you do that to us?

Who gave you that right?

For her, I faked an accent  
and adopted her quirks.  
I flew across the country  
and lived among strangers.

I learned a brand-new life  
and it was all for nothing.

I don’t wanna go home,  
not if it means  
leaving my twin behind.

I don’t wanna see her  
only on holidays  
and during summers.  
I want more than that.  
I wanna stay with her.

You won’t even consider  
giving me up sometimes  
so I can always  
be with my sister.

I won’t stand by  
and condone  
this forced separation.

That is an injustice  
I will never forgive.

**Author's Note:**

> _They fuck you up, your mum and dad.  
>  They may not mean to, but they do.  
> _
> 
> From Philip Larkin’s [This Be the Verse](https://poetryfoundation.org/poems/48419/this-be-the-verse).


End file.
